China's National Health Commission confirmed on Monday in a statement that it will be downgrading the COVID-19 level category to "Class B and Class B control" and further easing pandemic measures starting January 8, 2023.
"From the perspective of virus mutation, experts at home and abroad generally believe that the general direction of virus mutation is lower pathogenicity, more prone to upper respiratory tract infection, and shorter incubation period," the NHC explained, adding that over time COVID-19 will turn "into a common respiratory infectious disease."
There will be no more isolation for those who contract the virus, while close contacts will not be tracked. In addition, "high and low-risk areas will no longer be demarcated," while quarantine measures for travelers and goods entering the country will be dropped.
